


An Amber Fruits Basket!

by havarti2



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2001), Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Agender Character, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Isekai, LMAO, OC-centric, Other, Ugh, akito is only briefly mentioned, and it sat untouched for 4 years, awkward transfer student introductions, correction i was 15, fruits basket isekai, ignore the prologue it's dumb anyway, kohaku has the big uwus, kohaku is a mess help them, kohaku is an idiot, me? updating sporadically? yeah, no i'm not rewriting what i wrote when i was 16, questionable curse physics, screw continuity, that's too much effort, this isn't how the curse works but it's fine, will i ever write a story for riley? yeah, you can tell where i left this fic off for 3 years asdkgf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 19:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20087362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havarti2/pseuds/havarti2
Summary: When Kohaku falls off a ladder and into the world of Fruits Basket, everything is not what they expected. But hugging the Sohma boys isn't all that bad, right? OC-centric.





	1. Prologue

“So you’re saying that if you were in Fruits Basket, you could hug anyone you wanted?” 

“Probably.”

“Dude, that’s awesome.”

That short conversation, those mere twenty words, would change my life forever. Oh, I nearly forgot to introduce myself. I’m Kohaku Garnett. I’m 16 years old, and I’m agender, even if I was born female (and still have long hair). 

Being agender is… frustrating sometimes, with all the dumb questions people ask and shopping is almost always a horrendous experience, but after discovering my new favorite anime, Fruits Basket, I guess the frustration is kinda worth it. 

See, in Fruits Basket, there’s a family by the name of Sohma. They’ve had a curse on their family since, well, forever. Whenever someone of the opposite gender hugs certain members of the family, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. 

Well, except for two: Kyo Sohma, who turns into a cat, and Akito Sohma, who is the ‘God’ of the curse. No one knows what happens when a girl hugs him, though. 

Sorry, got a little bit off topic there. Anyway, in Fruits Basket, a girl named Tohru Honda accidentally finds out about the Sohma curse when she grabs Kyo from behind in order to keep him from attacking Yuki, the rat of the zodiac. Kyo then transformed into a cat, and I sat watching from my computer, laughing my head off.

Uh, what was my point again? Oh, yeah. Since I’m agender, if I was in Fruits Basket, I could hug the male Sohmas without them transforming into the zodiac, since I’m not a girl. Even if I were, I could still hug the girls, and that’d be nice. 

If you, dear reader, were wondering how this seemingly useless information is relevant to my story, I’ll tell you. I was somehow sucked into the world of Fruits Basket. I don’t even know how. It just happened. One minute, I was starting to rewatch the series, the next… well, read on and find out for yourself!


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stuff and things happen. yeah.

“So you’re saying that if you were in Fruits Basket, you could hug anyone you wanted?” 

“Probably.” 

“Dude, that’s awesome.”

I had invited my best friend Riley over for the weekend so we could have an anime marathon, starting with Fruits Basket, my personal favorite other than Ouran Highschool Host Club, which we planned to watch afterwards. 

It had come to Riley’s attention that if I were in Fruits Basket, I could hug the cursed Sohmas. Maybe. It was an enigma that Riley was determined to find out, even though I told her that it probably wouldn’t work and that if I were to find myself in Fruits Basket, I would try to avoid hugging the boys as much as humanly possible. But, knowing the anime, that would be extremely difficult.

“Yo, Haku. I’m going to get a snack.” Riley exclaimed, walking to the kitchen while I set up the DVD player. 

“Kay.” I replied, not really paying attention. Setting up a really old DVD player isn’t as easy as it sounds. Trust me.

So, Riley went off to who-knows-where, while I was stuck fiddling with the controls of a dinosaur of a DVD player with the Fruits Basket DVD between my teeth, standing on a ladder that was equally as old and twice as rickety. I was holding onto the power cord in one hand, seeing as I had to plug it in last. As I was trying to find the right button, the ladder moved. I jumped, knowing how much it hurt to fall from up here. My eyes ran over the buttons, frantically searching for the one that would open up the mouth of the player. Just as I found it, the most horrifying thing happened.

The leg of the ladder broke.

The power cord sparked and I barely managed to scream as the DVD fell to the ground.

I, however, never hit the floor.


	3. Chapter 2

_ I looked around. There was only blackness. Did I die? I tried to move, but I found I couldn’t. I started to squirm, only to hear a voice shout at me.  _

“Hey, stop that! I’m gonna drop ya! Quit it!”

_ That voice… it’s so familiar… where have I heard it before? It was so familiar… why can’t I think of the owner of that voice? Before I could even attempt to remember, another, kinder voice spoke. _

“Oh, Kyo, you’re back. Were you hurt by the landslide? I know you were near it.” 

_ That voice… it’s familiar too…  _

“Nah, I’m fine, but she’s not. She got caught right in the middle of it.” 

_ Kyo… is that the first voice’s name? Kyo?  _

“What!? Yuki, call Hari!” 

_ Kyo… Kyo… wait a minute… Kyo? _

“Right!” Footsteps pounded across the floor.

_ Another voice? That one’s familiar too… Is that one Yuki? That means the other on is…  _

“S-shi?”

Everything was quiet. Whoever was carrying me, Kyo, I assumed, stopped moving. The footsteps stopped. I could feel the stares. I tried opening my eyes, but nothing happened.

“What did you say?” The second voice asked, concern lacing the words.

“S-shi?”  _ Why can’t I say his name? Is it too much to ask to say-- _

“Shigure? Is something wrong?” 

I felt myself turning. Kyo was turning to see something.  _ That sounds like--  _

“Oh, Tohru, I didn’t know you were back. How was your trip to the store?” Shigure stated somewhat nervously. 

“Yeah, I just got back… Oh my gosh, is she okay!?” More footsteps coming closer. I tried to shift towards who I assumed was Tohru, only to have Kyo complain again.

“Hey! I thought I told ya to quit squirming! Or else I’ll drop--” 

He never got to finish. I accidentally turned the wrong way and my arms wrapped themselves around him.  _ I’m falling again!! Someone please catch me!! PLEASE!! _

Unfortunately, my unspoken plea didn’t help anything. I felt my body crash to the floor like dead weight. Tohru gasped, at least I think it was Tohru. Could’ve been Shigure.  _ More likely Tohru though… _

The darkness, the ever present black that had let up minutely for just a moment, smothered me once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i should have rewritten what i wrote when i was 15


	4. Chapter 3

_ Can I open my eyes now? That’d be great. Thanks, brain, for being such a complete pain and an utter failure. _

My eyelids slowly peeled open. They were covered in that nasty crusty stuff that you get when you first wake up, so they wouldn’t open all the way. I sat up and blinked a couple times to get the blasted stuff away. Then, naturally, I looked around. 

No one was in the room with me. It was a nice room with simple decor. It distinctly resembled Tohru’s room, but the bed was facing in the other direction. The door was closed. Maybe everyone was downstairs? Didn’t Yuki call Hatori? That’s when a terrifying thought hit me.

** _Hatori._ **

_ He could erase memories. And… and I turned Kyo into a cat. OH NO. What if Akito finds out? Wait, screw the what if. What’ll he do when he finds out? He always finds out. Will he make Hatori erase my memories? But the show… I can’t forget the show… What if it doesn’t work? What’ll happen then? _

**Wait a minute. **

_ What if Kyo didn’t turn into a cat? What if he dropped me so that I wouldn’t hug him? There wasn’t an explosion… Maybe that’s it. I didn’t turn Kyo into a cat and he dropped me so that I wouldn’t… but I can’t, can I? _

“Oh, you’re awake.” 

My head whipped around to face the door. A little too quickly I might add. Standing in the doorway was two spinning Shigures. _ Wow, am I dizzy… _

“I’m sorry for startling you.”

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the double vision and the dizziness. “No, it’s okay. I should be the one to apologize.”

“Why’s that? You don’t need to apologize for anything. You’ve done nothing wrong.” He stated, sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

“I’ve trespassed, haven’t I? I’m being a burden, aren’t I? I’m wasting your valuable time… I never have been so stupid…” I wanted to cry, I really did, but crying in front of Shigure didn’t sound like a good idea. So I curled in on myself instead. 

“It’s alright, you aren’t a burden. Trespassing, well, that might be another story. But I’m sure I’ll understand if you tell me what happened.” He soothed, lifting my chin up so he could look at me. 

His smile was so kind. His face showed the look of a parent who wanted nothing less than to help their child. He cared about me. He wanted to _ help _ me. And he didn’t even _ know _ me… 

“Shigure, I hope you aren’t harassing my patient.” 

_ That voice. Hatori. That’s it, I’m totally screwed. _


	5. Chapter 4

The door opened once again and the Dragon of the Zodiac walked calmly into the room, dressed up in his white lab coat and carrying his black doctor’s bag. 

“Of course not, Hari. Though it hurts that you think that lowly of me.” Shigure smiled at him, only to receive a blank stare in return. I gulped. I knew he had needles in that bag and I. Hate. Needles. 

“There’s no need to be nervous.” 

I sat up straighter than a ruler. The fact that Hatori Sohma addressed me made my ‘fangirl’ side scream its head off, internally of course. If I actually screamed that would be kinda bad… scratch that. Really bad.

“Yeah, relax. Hari won’t hurt you.” Shigure reassured, clasping one of my shoulders. However, I wasn’t paying attention to that. My attention was directed to two very important facts: the first being that Hatori pulled a needle out of his bag, and the second being that I was going to pass out any second. 

“Hm. You’re a Dragon, aren’t you?” Hatori asked over his shoulder, as he searched through his bag for something. 

“Y-yessir.” I replied. I hadn’t expected to be so… shaky when I met Hatori. He was my favorite character other than Hatsuharu. But no. I had to be a ‘Mary-Sue’. Just great.

“Did you hear that, Hari? She called you sir. Isn’t that cute?” Shigure teased. I knew if was a harmless joke, but one part of that sentence really bothered me.

“I’m not a she.”

Silence fell. Shigure looked up at me. Hatori stopped rummaging through his bag and turned around. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“I’m not a she.” 

This apparently confused them. They looked at each other before Shigure spoke.

“If you’re a boy, why are you in girlish clothes? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“I’m not a boy, either.”

A pause, then: 

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused.” 

A snicker was heard from the hall and I turned towards the door. Kyo’s orange hair barely stuck out past the door frame. It appeared that he was eavesdropping on us. “I can see you, you silly cat.”

Dead silence once more. Eyes wide, Shigure and Hatori stared at me in complete disbelief. 

“What did you call me?” The venom in Kyo’s voice poured into my ears.

“A silly cat. I called you a silly cat. One of my terms of endearment.” I covered up quickly.

“Why?”

“Your hair color is the same exact color of my cat back at home. It reminded me of her. And that’s what I call her. My silly cat. It sort of slipped out. I’m sorry.” I lied. I actually don’t have a cat.

A snort. 

“Kyo, are you coming in or not?” Shigure asked, still a little freaked out about the whole ‘silly cat’ thing.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Just as Kyo set one foot into the room, Hatori spoke up.

“Kyo, you and Shigure wait in the hall.”

Shigure and Kyo sent him questioning looks, granted Kyo’s was more annoyed than Shigure’s, but Hatori didn’t answer them. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked once they left. I blinked at him.

“I-I’m okay. H-how a-are you?” I replied, fiddling with my fingers. He seemed surprised that I would ask him such a question. 

“I’m fine, thank you.” He put his stethoscope against my chest. “Deep breath in.” I obeyed as he listened to my lungs.

“Again.” 

This continued for another minute at best before he went about the rest of his doctor-y business. I had just started to calm down when he picked up the needle. I. HATE. NEEDLES.

My eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. I instinctively jumped backwards, then I realized something kind of important: I just jumped off the edge of the bed. I squeaked as I started to fall and Hatori reached out to grab me. My arms wrapped themselves around him. His eyes widened as he waited for the seemingly inevitable transformation.

But it never happened.

His eyes widened slightly as he gazed down at me, who was holding onto him for dear life, stare focused on the floor as if it were an evil, demonic creature bent on eating my soul. I turned my head to look at him, my eyes landing on his shocked expression. 

“S-sorry. I… kinda hate n-needles.” I apologized.

“It’s… It’s alright. Many people are afraid of needles.” He assured.

Shigure’s head poked inside the door. “I heard the scream, are you alri--” He stopped mid-sentence as the sight of Hatori holding me bridal-style and me clinging onto him for dear life greeted him. Shigure blinked a couple of times, mouth agape. 

“She fell off the bed.” Hatori explained.

“Still not a she.” I added, pouting slightly.

“He fell off--”

“Still not a he, either.”

“Then what are you?” Shigure asked, seemingly frustrated.

“I prefer they/them pronouns if you don’t mind.” I replied, adding the end ever-so-slightly-sarcastically. 

“Fine then.  _ They _ fell off the bed.” Hatori corrected himself for the third time.

“But how are you holding h-”

“Not a her. Or a him.”

“-Them?” 

“I may have breasts, but that doesn’t mean I’m a girl.” I sighed.  _ This is getting frustrating already, _ I thought.

“Do you mind explaining?” Hatori asked as he put me back on the bed. I sighed.

“I’m agender. I’m neither a girl nor a boy, even if I was born a girl. I may still have, well, breasts and long hair, but I’m just not a girl.” I explained. Shigure nodded.

“Ah, I see know.” He mused, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“Can I come in now?” Kyo called from the hall, sounding rather grumpy.

“Sure, Mister Grumpy Gills.” I called back, snickering at his disamused expression when he walked in. Surprisingly, Yuki and Tohru were behind him.

“How are you feeling, miss?” Yuki asked. I gave him the blankest stare I could. 

“Not a miss. And don’t even think about saying that I’m a guy either.” I grumbled. 

Yuki and Tohru gave me confused looks, then turned to Shigure for an answer. Kyo, however, beat him to the punch.

“They’re agender. Not a guy, not a girl. Just a person.” He said. I smiled at him.

“Thanks for sparing me the trouble, Carrot Head.” 

“I AM NOT A CARROT HEAD!” Kyo shouted at me. I just laughed.

“Whatever you say, Ginger. Whatever you say.” 


	6. Chapter 5

Kyo glared at me. 

“Don’t call me that.”

“Oh, I think I will.” I smirked back. The others just stared at us while Kyo grumbled.

“Um…” Tohru said. However, nothing came after that.

“I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I? Well, now I just feel  _ stupid _ ,” I laughed. “The name’s Kohaku. Haku for short. Pleasure ta meet y’all.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mi- Kohaku. My name’s Yuki Sohma.” Yuki introduced, catching himself when he almost said ‘miss’. I winked at him.

“Nice save.” 

“I’m Tohru Honda, it’s nice to meet you Kohaku!” Tohru smiled. I smiled back. 

“Likewise, Miss Honda.”

“I’m Shigure, and that’s Kyo.” Shigure introduced, pointing over at Kyo.

“The name’s Hatori.” No facial expression at all. Darn. I’ll get him to smile even if it kills me.

A beat of silence overtook the room before Shigure cleared his throat.

“So, Kohaku, what were you doing outside in the landslide anyway?” He questioned, and all eyes fell on me.

“W-well… I kinda got lost… I’m not sure how I even  _ got _ here…” I mumbled, looking down at my hands.

“You don’t know how you got here?” Shigure asked. I shook my head.

“I was at home, trying to fix the DVD player, and I fell off a ladder, and then I woke up in the landslide… That’s what I remember, anyway.” I answered. My fingernails were suddenly  _ very _ interesting to me.

“Do you by any chance have transient global amnesia?” Hatori asked. I once again shook my head.   
  


“I don’t even know what that  _ means _ .” 

“Alright, then.” He muttered, writing something down on his clipboard. 

“So you don’t know how you got here. Big deal. The real question is do you know how to get home?” Kyo asked from his place against the doorframe, opening one eye.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. “No…” I sniffed.

“Now look what you’ve done, you stupid cat, you’ve made them cry,” Yuki walked closer to me and brushed away my tears. “Here, you look much nicer without the tears getting in the way.” 

My pulse started to race and my thoughts ran to catch up.  _ WHAT WHAT WHAT YUKI FACE TOUCHING HANDS BRAIN IMPLODING OH GOD PLEASE WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS I DON’T DESERVE THIS HE’S TOO PERFECT. _

Instead of opening my mouth and saying something I knew I’d regret later, I looked up at him slightly, swallowed hard, and mouthed ‘thank you’. He nodded.

“If… If it’s not a problem, Shigure, can they stay in my room with me until we can get them back home?” Tohru suggested, turning to Shigure. 

“I don’t see how that’s a problem. However, you will have to do some chores with Tohru in order to keep your place. Is that alright?” Shigure turned back to me.

“Yessir, it’s only fair since you’re showing me this kindness. I’ll be sure I won’t let you down.” I bowed my head. 

“Good.” He smiled.

“Now that that’s taken care of, I’ll be taking my leave now.” Hatori announced, packing his bag and exiting the room. “Don’t hesitate to call if you need me.” He added over his shoulder.

“We won’t, thank you Hari.” Shigure followed after him, presumably to walk him to the door.

_ I’ve got a room, and they don’t know I know about the curse… now all I have to do is get enrolled in the high school, get a job, and keep away from Akito as much as humanly possible… I know that isn’t much, but it’s my plan for now… and I can hug the Sohmas! That’ll save a lot of transformations in the future… OH MAN I FORGOT ABOUT RILEY!  _


	7. Chapter 6

“So, Kohaku…” Tohru started, fidgeting with her hands before looking at me.

I blinked at her, shaking myself out of my thoughts. “Yes?”

“What’s your home like?” She asked, eyes brimming full of curiosity.

“My home?” I blinked again, tilting my head. “Why would you want to know something like that?”

“Well, if we knew what your home was like, then we might be able to get you back!” She exclaimed.

“Huh… well…” I paused, holding my chin in thought. “My home… it’s… quiet there. Nothing exciting happens, and there’s not much to do in town. We have one big event a year other than holidays, and that’s about it.” 

“Is there anything else? The name of your town, maybe?” Yuki asked gently.

“...no, I’m sorry. That’s it.” I bit my lip and looked down at my lap. I hated lying to them like this, I really did, but I couldn’t exactly tell them I was another world where all of this was a work of fiction, now could I. 

“Amnesia, huh? A tricky thing it is.” Shigure mused, pointing one finger towards the ceiling before smiling slyly. “Maybe something will jog your memory if you did things like you would at home?”

“Maybe…?” I trailed off, giving Shigure a look that was half confused and half suspicious.  _ What are you thinking, you sly dog? And when in the world did you get back in here? _

“Alright then, when you’re all better, we can have you attend school with Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru. I’m sure it would help with something!” With that, he smiled, and strode out of the room, leaving us teenagers dumbstruck. 

  
I stared at the door.  _ What in the world just happened!? _


	8. Chapter 7

The next couple days came and went in a flash. When I was finally up and about, Shigure took me to Kaibara High School to apply for classes. The only problem? I can’t read Japanese. At all. Somehow, when I landed in this world, I can understand Japanese perfectly, and I seem to be able to speak it perfectly. But reading? Absolutely out of the question. Don’t get me started on writing, it looks like someone taped a crayon to a rabid raccoon. 

So, when it was time to take the admittance test, I was absolutely dumbstruck. I literally had no idea what anything on it said, and Shigure was waiting outside so I couldn’t ask him. The instructor must have noticed how confused I looked (read: blankly staring at the test like a brainwashed cabbage) and came over.

“What seems to be the matter?” He asked, looking at the test then at me, raising an eyebrow.

“I…” I trailed off, biting my lip. How do I explain this without sounding like a complete idiot? “I can’t read this.”

“What do you mean you can’t read this?”

“I can’t read Japanese. I’m American. Do you have a copy in English?”

“Yes, I do. Let me get it for you.”

“Thank you very much.” 

As the instructor walked away, I could see him glance back at me and shake his head ever so slightly. I shot an unimpressed look after him. Rude.

“Here you go.” He said as he handed me the English version. As he walked away, I heard him mutter under his breath. “Hopefully there aren’t any more problems…”

“How rude…” I mumbled, turning my attention to the test. Scanning through the questions, I scoffed lightly. These questions were almost  _ too _ easy. No wonder Kyo got in so easily…

I filled out the exam and handed it in to the instructor, who honestly looked a bit shocked I was finished so fast. He dismissed me through spluttered words and fish-faced expressions, and I was outta there. 

Shigure was chatting up the front desk lady when I found him. He turned to me, slight smirk on his face. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” And with that, Shigure bid farewell to the receptionist, who looked like she didn’t want him to leave, and off we went.

On the walk back to the house, Shigure wouldn’t stop that damn smirk. 

“What’s with you?” I asked, still slightly annoyed about the instructor.

“You seemed like you didn’t want to be there. Any particular reason why?”

“Yeah, the instructor was rude and stupid.” I grumbled. Shigure gave a short laugh. I glared at him. “What? It’s true.”

“It’s nothing.” 

“Like hell it’s nothing, tell me!” 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

“Now I’m worrying about it! Tell me!!”

“It’s just… Kyo said something similar when he transferred schools.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes, he thought the instructor was an idiot.”

“Honestly? Same hat.”

Shigure paused for a second. I turned back to him, eyebrow raised expectantly. “What?”

“What in the world do hats have to do with anything?” He asked, visibly confused. I blinked at him for a solid second before laughing my head off. Shigure blinked at my sudden outburst. “Why are you laughing?”   
  


“You’re… you’re so old!” I giggled, wiping away the budding laughter tears. Shigure pouted at me. 

“I am not!”

“Yes you are!” 

“I am NOT! I’ll have you know I’m twenty six!”   
  


“Exactly my point!”

This continued on until we reached the house. “We’re home!” Shigure called out, taking his shoes off. I followed suit.

“Welcome back!” Tohru greeted, smiling. “How was it?”

I deadpanned. “The instructor was an idiot.” Tohru seemed to deflate slightly, so I backtracked. “But the test was easy, so there’s no way I didn’t pass!” That seemed to cheer her up a bit. 

“Well, that’s good! Maybe you’ll be in the same class as Yuki and Kyo and me!” 

“I hope so! I would hate to be in a class where I didn’t know anyone.” 

“You’d have a chance to make new friends though!” 

“I guess you have a point there! Hey, is there anything to snack on? I haven’t had lunch yet.” 

Tohru blinked. “Oh, of course, let me get you something!” She turned and headed for the kitchen… only to bump right into Kyo.

_ BAMF! _

Orange smoke filled the air, and I coughed, waving it away from me. The smoke cleared, and on the floor was a pile of clothes… and a cat. 

_ Oh f*** me. _


	9. Chapter 8

I stared. There wasn’t much else to do other than avert my gaze and pretend I didn’t see anything. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the scene in front of me.    
  


Tohru was supporting herself against the wall, lightly banging her fist against it. Kyo was a disgruntled fluff ball on the floor, giving the back of Tohru’s head an irritated glare. Yuki just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, mumbling about ‘stupid cats’ and ‘not paying attention’. Shigure just snickered.

_ ‘Maybe if I don’t move and don’t make a sound, they won’t notice I’m still here.’ _ I thought, freezing up and clamping my lips shut.

“Really Kyo, you should be more aware of your surroundings! That’s the third time this week!” Shigure laughed, putting his hands on his hips and leaning down to Kyo.

“Shigure’s right you stupid cat. Maybe if you were paying attention, you won’t have transformed.” Yuki grumbled, glaring at him.

Tohru sagged from her place by the wall. “I am  _ so  _ sorry! I didn’t mean to, honest!” As she turned around to face Kyo, her gaze locked on to me almost like a missile launcher. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. I blinked at her, eyes starting to bug out of my head.

_ ‘Fuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.’ _

The others must have noticed that Tohru didn’t continue her usual string of apologies, and looked to her. Then at me. 

** _‘Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.’_ **

Silence fell over us for a moment. Everyone was too dumbstruck to say anything, and the amount of stares on me was getting rather uncomfortable.

“Uh.” I tried to say something,  _ anything _ , that would save my hide from this. But no, Dumb Dumb Brain took over and decided ‘uh’ was the best thing to say. I looked over to Kyo, the mortal terror of being discovered written all over his face.

“When did this cat get here?” I asked, tilting my head.  _ ‘Are you friggin serious, THAT’S the best you can come up with?!’ _

“How strange indeed! Tohru, why don’t you take this stray outside?” Shigure seemed to recover the fastest, though I could practically  _ see _ the sweat drops running down his face. Tohru blinked for a solid second, before shaking out of her stupor. 

“O-oh! Of course! Come here, kitty!” With that, she scooped up Kyo and his clothes in one fell swoop, presumably to take him ‘outside’. 

My guess if they were going to try to play it off is that Kyo would have to come back through the kitchen or come from upstairs via climbing in from the roof. ‘ _ Either way… it’s not going to be as smooth as they’re trying to make it… might as well bite the bullet…’  _

“So, uh… where’d Carrot Top go?” I asked, looking around as if I didn’t have a clue. Kyo hissed from Tohru’s arms. 

“I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME CARROT TOP!” He spat before freezing as he realized his mistake. Now all eyes were off me, and onto Kyo.

Yuki groaned. “You absolute idiot…” 

Shigure just sighed. He turned to face me. “Kohaku… there’s something you need to know. Kyo’s a Cat, I’m a Dog, and Yuki’s a Rat.”

“...What do you mean?”  _ ‘PLAY DUMB PLAY DUMB PLAY DUMB.’ _

“Do you know the folktale of the Chinese Zodiac?” He asked, to which I nodded. “Well, the Sohma family has been cursed by the Zodiac for several generations. When twelve of us-” Kyo glared, “ah, thirteen of us are hugged by someone of the opposite sex or are under a great deal of stress or when we’re sick, we turn into the animals of the Zodiac plus the cat.” 

I looked down, putting my hand on my chin in ‘thought’ before meeting Shigure’s eyes. “Is that why you freaked out when I jumped off the bed?”

He nodded. “That’s right. Hatori’s animal wouldn’t have been ideal in that situation, though there’s never an ideal situation to transform.” 

“Why are you telling me this exactly?” I narrowed my eyes slightly, not enough to be noticeable. This was too easy… was his plan to wipe my memory? Or did he want me under Akito’s thumb? Either way, it wasn’t looking good for me.

“I have to make a phone call, Akito needs to know about this.” Shigure walked out of the room and down the hall.    
  


My mind started going a mile a minute, and my pulse sped up to match.  _ What am I going to do?! _


	10. Chapter 9

I must have been staring at the floor too intensely or something, because someone was shaking my shoulder. I jolted and looked up, meeting Tohru’s eyes. She smiled slightly at me.

“It’ll be okay, Kohaku. Shigure’s just gonna let him know what happened.” She assured me, and for a moment, I wanted to believe her.

But unfortunately, I know better than that.

“...Are you sure it’s alright?” I croaked out, barely a whisper.

“Even if it’s not, we can’t go against Akito.” Yuki muttered, turning away. Kyo’s face hardened into something akin to anger, and for a second, just a second, it looked like his eyes changed into… something else. I blinked and looked down again.

“Oh. I see.” The room was silent for what felt like a lifetime, before Shigure slid the door open and sat back down, picking up his paper again.

“Well?” Kyo and Yuki asked at the same time. They looked at each other, huffed, and looked away.

“Akito said you may never see the light of day again.” Shigure stared into my soul as he said this, my heart stopped and I froze up on the spot.  _ What?! Akito’s not a great guy, but am I really gonna be locked up?! _

The others had frozen up as well, shock painting their faces like a canvas. Shigure gave me one of those low-lidded, devil eyed looks, before laughing and waving his hand.

“Just kidding! Akito said it’s alright as long as you don’t tell anybody, okay?” As he said this, my heart started to beat again. 

“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT THEN?!” Kyo and Yuki shouted, striking Shigure in the head while Tohru just deflated.  _ Me too, girl… me too. _

“I thought it was appropriate for revenge.” He smirked at me, and I felt the intense, sudden need to punch him. 

“You sly dog.” I hissed at him. Shigure, however, just laughed off my death glares.

“Anyway, Kohaku, you probably should get ready for tomorrow.” 

I blinked out of my mini-ragefest. “Huh?” 

He ruffled his paper while the four of us teens looked at him in confusion. “Your first day is tomorrow, or did you forget? Silly child.”

I stared at him for another moment before shifting my gaze to the floor. 

_ I completely forgot..! I HAVE SCHOOL. TOMORROW. OH SWEET JESUS ON A CRACKER. I don’t think I can do this. Maybe I can just melt into the floor? That’d be nice. _

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Tohru getting up and extending a hand towards me. “Come on, Kohaku! I’ll help you get ready! And tomorrow I can introduce you to Uo, and Hana, and…” 

She kept going on about what school was like as she led me upstairs, into the room we shared. We kept talking throughout the evening, preparing me for classes and any questions that her friends would have. Time for dinner came and went, and eventually it was time for bed.

I changed into my pajamas, cleaned up, and all that jazz, and climbed into bed. Tohru was already asleep, and I did my best not to wake her, as per my new usual nightly routine. 

As I lay there in the dark, I smiled to myself, although it wasn’t a completely happy smile. In the morning, I’d be attending a new high school, making new friends, and new memories. However, the anticipation made my heart ache for everyone I left behind. I missed my teachers, I missed my friends, I missed my family. I missed Riley, my soulmate in everything but romance. 

I missed home. 

I rolled over toward the window. It wouldn’t do me any good to stay up all night feeling sorry for myself, because if I thought about it anymore, I would start crying, and then I’d wake Tohru up and it would all be a big mess. 

I shut my eyes and tried my best to not think of home as I drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	11. Chapter 10

Sunlight streamed through the curtains… directly into my eye.  _ Thanks, morning. _ I sat up and rubbed the last remains of sleep and crusty gunk out of my eyes. From the sounds of it, Tohru was already up and downstairs making breakfast, leaving the room to my lonesome. 

_ Well at least I can dress in peace… _ I thought as I put on the boy’s uniform I was given. I’d pretty much begged on my hands and knees for it, because there’s no way in hell I’d be caught dead in the girl’s uniform. No thanks.

I adjusted my binder beneath my shirt before shrugging the jacket on. Maybe I could get lucky and there’d be no P.E. today… passing out on the first day would be the literal worst possibility. I sighed to myself before finishing up my morning routine and heading downstairs. 

Everyone was already sitting and eating when I made it to the living room. They turned to me.    
  
“Good morning, Kohaku!” Tohru beamed.  _ What a precious ray of sunshine. _ “Why are you wearing the boy’s uniform?” She asked, handing me some breakfast. I thanked her.

“Closest thing to a gender-neutral uniform I can get.” I shrugged calmly as I started eating. 

“You four should finish up soon, you don’t want to be late.” Shigure said, ruffling his morning paper. “Oh, and Kohaku, your bag is by the door.”    
  
“Thanks, Shigure.” Us four teenagers finished up our breakfast and headed out the door. I grabbed my bookbag and followed after the others.    
  
_ Time to face the music, I guess. _

The walk to school was pretty calm, just small talk between Tohru, Yuki, and I while Kyo walked ahead of us. However, when we got there, the nerves started kicking in. I stared and stood stock still at the school building, gripping my bookbag like my life depended on it.  _ Oh s***, oh f*** I can’t do this, I can’t do this. _

Kyo must have sensed the immense waves of anxiety rolling off me because he knocked his knuckles against the side of my head. “You’ll be fine, idiot, just walk in. It’s not gonna kill ya.” He muttered before walking in himself.

I stood there another moment longer, processing what in the world just happened, before speed-walking in after him. One of the teachers was standing inside waiting for me. 

“You must be Garnett Kohaku. Your class is this way, just stand outside until you’re called for.” She said, walking down the hall and up the stairs. I followed her through the building until she stopped in front of a classroom door. “Here we are, have a good day, Garnett.”    
  
I watched her leave before turning back to the door. My heart started pounding in my chest, and I willed myself to take deep breaths. There’s no way I could fail this, right? And even if I did, I could just lock myself in the bathroom for the rest of the day. Yeah, that would work.

“We have a foreign exchange student joining our class today. You can come in now.” The teacher called through the door. My heart skipped a beat. I recognized that voice.  _ MAYU THANK F***.  _

I opened the door and hesitantly stepped in, looking over the students’ faces. I was greeted by Tohru and Yuki smiling at me, and Kyo gave me half a look.  _ Close enough. _

Mayu gestured for me to stand in front of the blackboard. I centered myself in front of the whispering students, and  _ oh my god that’s a lot of people. _ Shadows started creeping in from the corners of my vision and I had to blink them away.    
  
“This is Garnett Kohaku, they’re from America. Introduce yourself, Garnett.” Mayu said, and thus all eyes were on me. I gulped.

“My name is Garnett Kohaku and I use they/them pronouns, it’s nice to meet you all. I hope we can get along.” I introduced with a bow. I came up from the bow to see Yuki’s gentle smile.  _ OH THANK GOD I DIDN’T MESS UP. _

“Alright does anyone have any questions for Garnett before we begin?” A million hands went up. The first ten minutes of class was spent answering questions, and once everyone was satisfied, class began. 


	12. Chapter 11

Class went by pretty smoothly, since it was math and there wasn’t much reading. The bell rang at the end of the period, and I gathered my stuff to go to our next class. After a moment, I realized no one was getting up with me.    
  
“Uhh.” I glanced over the other students. “We’re gonna be late, guys.”    
  
“What are you talking about? This is our classroom, stupid.” One of the snotty girls snorted, and I sat back down, embarrassed.    
  
“Will you leave ‘em alone? They’re a foreign exchange student, they probably do things differently.” Uotani scolded, and the other girl shut up once she saw Hanajima staring at her. 

“You don’t want me to **** you with electric shocks.” Hanajima said, and boy if that didn’t send shivers down my spine. The girl squeaked and turned away. Hanajima and Uotani turned back to me. 

“Ya alright?” Uotani asked, sending another glare at the snotty girl. “Just ignore them, she and her friends pick on anyone when they have the chance.” Hanajima nodded.

“Uh, yeah, I’m alright. I still have to get used to this, I guess.” I let out a nervous laugh as I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m Kohaku, it’s nice to meet you.”

“First names already? Damn, you foreigners are something else. I’m Uotani Arisa, and this is Hanajima Saki. Tohru’s told us about you.” Uo introduced. Hana nodded. 

“Your electric signals are strange.” She blinked, and I jumped.  _ OF COURSE SHE’D KNOW HOLY S*** OH F*** SHE KNOWS DOESN’T SHE.  _

“Oh yeah? I’d like to think it’s my sparkling personality.” I held a finger gun up to my chin, and Uo laughed.  _ YES DEFLECT IT DEFLECT THE TOPIC LAUGHTER IS GOOD. _

“I like ya already! Say, what’s it like in America, huh? You live in New York City?” Uo nudged my arm.

“Nah, the city’s a good hour and a half away, and it’s not really that great anyway. It’s loud and bright and crowded and smells bad and has a bunch of crazy people. Not really my taste.” I shrugged. 

Hana just kept looking at me. I was starting to get unnerved at this point. Uo blinked. “Hana, leave ‘em alone, you’re freaking ‘em out. Don’t mind Hana, she’s not gonna zap you or anything.” 

“T-that’s not… thanks.” I sighed, defeated. Uo gave me a confused look before shrugging whatever she was thinking off. Hana just blinked and narrowed her eyes slightly. 

“ _ ...Fear dot JPG. _ ” I whispered, then blinked in surprise.  _ I guess I can speak English still… wait, why wouldn’t I be able to? Brain, why. _

“What?” Uo and Hana asked at the same time. I waved them off. 

“Don’t worry about it.”

**Author's Note:**

> aaaaaaaaaa.


End file.
